MELBOURNE Victory captain Mark Milligan is chopped down in the penalty area like a rotting elm in a bushfire zone.

Arms flap, the crowd holds its breath and ... nothing. It was a moment for the referee bashers but not the conspiracy theorists.

If the fans in tin hats were right and sports authorities really did direct officials to facilitate certain results, not only would Victory have gotten the penalty, the referee would have tied the Brisbane Roar goalkeeper’s gloves together. A Melbourne victory — meaning a Western Sydney Wanderers home grand final — was the FFA’s dream result.

Brisbane Roar v Melbourne Victory Match Highlights
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Instead, Victory were denied the obvious spot kick that could have tied the scores late in their semi-final, which was a pity.

Not because the dominant Roar don’t deserve to win. But because a Wanderers-Victory grand final at ANZ Stadium might have been the greatest occasion in Australian domestic soccer history.

The doubters didn’t bother to conceal their mirth when FFA chief executive David Gallop declared the idea his game could become “the biggest and most powerful is no longer just a dream’’. More than 60,000 at The House That Cathy Built cheering the Wanderers would have proven football was fighting in the heavyweight division in Sydney’s western suburbs.

Instead? We have a compelling decider between the two standout teams. And, for the ecumenical sports fan, an early reminder of the type of parochial mob NSW will encounter twice in State of Origin this year.

Dimi Petratos faces a race against the clock to be fit for GF
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Brisbane Roar attacker Dimi Petratos faces a nervous week ahead as he attempts to recover from the ankle strain he picked up in the win over Melbourne Victory.

Fox Sports

28 Apr 2014

Sport/Football/A-League/Previews & Reviews

For a number of reasons this is a big moment for the Wanderers. As Oscar Wilde might have said during an afternoon with the Red and Black Brigade, “to lose one grand final may be regarded as a misfortune, to lose both looks like carelessness.’’

The reputation — even the psychology — of clubs is often formed on the biggest occasions. Lose on Sunday and the pressure on the Wanderers will begin to grow. Just reaching a third grand final in three years might prove difficult for a team in transition after the departure of Shinji Ono and, possibly, the loss of electrifying winger Youssouf Hersi. The Wanderers’ time is now.

At home, Brisbane and their killer bees Besart Berisha and Thomas Broich should be slight favourite.

Berisha’s winner against his future club Victory showed the sometimes controversial striker intends to leave Brisbane in a blaze of glory. Even if his muted celebration was a reminder of how unedifying the idea of players signing for a new club while still playing out time in their old colours can be for fans.

Inevitably this A-League season has not been as eye-catching as the last when the Wanderers made their tumultuous debut and Alessandro Del Piero turned heads. Other than a few predictable crowd troubles the only major problem has been the disappointing ratings for Friday night games on SBS.

Whether that reflected a modest appetite for the A-League, or the relatively downbeat exposure (on digital affiliate SBS2), promotion and production of the SBS coverage is a matter for debate. Privately, FFA officials are hoping for a more dynamic free-to-air coverage next season. The A-League grand final — on a weekend with no NRL games — is the start of an extended period when the window of opportunity opens for Australian football.

The Wanderers will barely have time to lick champagne from the A-League’s toilet seat trophy, or down a couple of consoling beers, before they board the flight to Japan for their Asian Champions League match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

The Wanderers and Victory do battle earlier this season.Source: News Limited

The Socceroos go into camp on the Central Coast in mid-May to prepare for the World Cup. The send-off game at ANZ Stadium against South Africa on May 26 should attract a full house.

Then to the World Cup, where even competitive performances against Chile, the Netherlands and Spain will exceed modest expectations. As its promoters have been quick to emphasise, the Asian Cup lead-up begins the moment the Socceroos take the flight back from Brazil.

After that we will have some idea whether the game can capture more imaginations. Or if the talk of one day exceeding the reach of the AFL and NRL is a figment of the imagination.

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